News Editor

The accreditation process for CSU Bakersfield’s three engineering departments is another step closer to completion. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology completed its crucial three-day visit to CSU Bakersfield today.

ABET team members were given a tour of the facilities on Sunday, and also spoke with engineering students on Monday morning.

A lunch was held for the team on Monday. The lunch provided an informal venue for members of the ABET accreditation team to talk with members of the advisory board, and CSUB department chairs, and faculty.

With approximately thirty people in attendance, the team was able to get to know some key players in the accreditation process at CSUB.

Members of the Advisory Board included Jesse D. Frederick, Vice president of WZI, Inc., and chair of the advisory board, and Brad DeWitt, a petroleum engineer and member of the advisory board.

Stanley Pau, one of the visiting ABET team members, is a professor of engineering and optical sciences at the University of Arizona.

Pau said earlier in the day, he and other team members received some valuable feedback when they met with engineering students.

“Students have complained they have a hard time finding internships,” said Pau.

DeWitt said the local kids were up against some serious competition from other parts of the state for internships.

“Kids are competing with kids from other (accredited) campuses,” said DeWitt.

Frederick and DeWitt said they have been frustrated because local engineering students have been graduating at a disadvantage since they don’t have a degree from an accredited program.

“We have so much need (locally), and we’ve been importing accredited engineers,” said Frederick.

Both the company and the intern benefit from the internships.

“The interns bring insight,” said Frederick.